Targeting penalties don't change Terez Hall's approach

Thursday

Oct 12, 2017 at 12:44 PM

Missouri linebacker Terez Hall, one of the most physical players on the Tigers’ defense, had strong thoughts about targeting that he voiced during Tuesday’s media day.

Cornerback DeMarkus Acy was disqualified from the Kentucky game Saturday because of a targeting penalty on the Wildcats’ second offensive drive. There was helmet-to-helmet contact, but not all of the fault was on Acy — at the last moment, Kentucky wide receiver Lynn Bowden dropped his head to brace for impact and the crown of his helmet collided with Acy’s.

Yeah, I’d say this is targeting... pic.twitter.com/cALs6JOt8t

— Mav (@_mav_rick_) October 8, 2017

Hall, who made a number of violent tackles Saturday, said the targeting rule doesn’t change the way he plays.

“I’m going to keep playing football,” said Hall, who has a team-high 27 solo tackles this season. “If they call targeting, it’s kinda hard if a guy is coming down. If he’s lowering his shoulder on me, or lowering his head, I’m just going to go in there and hit him. I’m trying to protect myself as well. I’m not” gonna “let him just punish me. That will never happen.”

Missouri has been penalized for targeting twice this season. Cam Hilton was the first offender in Week 1 against Missouri State before Acy got the flag Saturday.

“Acy is going to protect himself,” Hall said. “I would have done the same thing. It’s football, man. We got pads on. We have to protect ourselves.”

Coach Barry Odom had a similar message in his press conference Monday.

“The move had been made,” Odom said. “He was getting ready to embrace for contact and the offensive guy lowered his body position. DeMarkus had already went into the action of making the tackle.”

Odom said the rule makes it difficult to know the target zone for where a defender should hit a ballcarrier, but he’s a proponent of the rule in general.

“I love the rule,” he said. “I think it’s all good for any level of football, the safety component of it.”